Blo, a blow-dry bar on Union Street, offers blow drys only -- no cuts or color -- as part of a new niche in the beauty business. The company is British Columbia based and opened in spring 2010.

Blo, a blow-dry bar on Union Street, offers blow drys only -- no cuts or color -- as part of a new niche in the beauty business. The company is British Columbia based and opened in spring 2010.

Photo: Courtesy Blo

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Halo blow dry bar at the Town & Country Village, Palo Alto, was founded by former high tech marketing exec Rosemary Camposano and is run by Sue Kockos. Blow drys only -- no cut or color -- is offered for $35 and each treatment is promised to take only 30minutes. It is a new trend in the salon industry, meant to offer pampering at an affordable price. less

Halo blow dry bar at the Town & Country Village, Palo Alto, was founded by former high tech marketing exec Rosemary Camposano and is run by Sue Kockos. Blow drys only -- no cut or color -- is offered for $35 ... more

Photo: Courtesy Halo Blow Dry Bar

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Blow-dry-only salon trend takes root in Bay Area

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Immaculately blown-dry hair was once the province of celebrities and the wealthy - who else would have the time or money for a $100 blowout at a luxury salon?

These days, anyone can look put together in 30 minutes for a mere $35, thanks to a beauty phenomenon sweeping the United States: the blow-dry bar.

Long familiar to women in Europe and South America, blow-dry bars offer no cuts or dye jobs, just wash, blow and go treatments - as well as spa waters to sip and outlets to charge your smart phone.

Is it vanity or value?

"Consumers are much more conscious of their spending than they were pre-recession, and part of that has been an evaluation of where they get the most bang for their buck," said Kit Yarrow, a consumer research psychologist at Golden Gate University.

"It sounds like there are plenty of consumers out there that feel they can do a reasonable job on color but can't replicate a professional blow-dry. For women who require that look, it's actually a cheaper alternative to opting for the whole salon shebang."

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Three chains have opened in the Bay Area in the past year: British Columbia's Blo Blow Dry Bar Inc., which opened in spring 2010 in San Francisco's Cow Hollow; Halo blow-dry bar, which opened last fall in Palo Alto; and Drybar, which opened on Fillmore Street in San Francisco last month.

Blow, which opened in the Financial District in 2005, had been San Francisco's lone lower-priced outlet devoted exclusively to blow-drying before this wave of new openings.

Blo offers seven styles of blowouts, including the "red carpet" for long locks, the "hugs, sex and rock and roll" for tousled hair; and updos.

Halo, with a family-friendly atmosphere, offers blowouts for $35, as well as pricier updos. Customers may bring their own shampoos and boar-bristle brushes.

Halo founder Rosemary Camposano, a former high-tech marketing executive, said her client base is suburban women in households with $100,000 in annual income. "They spend thousands on their faces and still have their hair tied in a ponytail," she said, "because they can't re-create the look their stylist gives them when they walk out the door, and won't spend $100 for a blow-dry except for a special occasion."

She believes blow drys are a beauty trend that has yet to evolve, but will, in much the way biweekly manicures and pedicures have become commonplace today.

"Blow-drys," she said, "are the nails for the next millennium."

Drybar, the latest addition to the Bay Area blowout scene, was founded by former San Francisco stylist Alli Web, inspired by a mobile blow-dry service she started while living in Los Angeles.

Blowouts are named after cocktail drinks like the Manhattan (straight), Mai Tai (beachy waves) and the Cosmopolitan (loose curls). Water infused with cucumbers or fruit is served, and elegantly wrapped candies can be purchased for snacking.

"I used to think this was a vain business, but I've been proven wrong by feedback from clients about what it does for their self-esteem," she said. "It's about how you feel when you leave - like a million bucks."

Skeptics may want to reconsider.

"In today's technology-drenched times, people put more emphasis on appearances, not just for their Facebook photos, but also because networks are more far flung, life is faster and attention spans are shorter," said Yarrow, the consumer psychologist. "People make hastier decisions about others based in part on their appearance."